I*\11CI Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. University of Illinois Library : Mi It bt|S JUN 2 9 m JUL o s m Llbl— H41 C- IHI :z£ztet TO MEMBERS OF THE LIBRARY STAFF: I should like to add a word or two to what is said in the letter from the Committee on Staff and Civil Service. The first plans for improving Civil Service arrangements were laid at a dinner meeting of Heads of Departments in the early fall of 1940. Ever since that early "beginning, an effort has teen made to use staff assistance in dealing with what is a large and many- sided problem. One of the most tangible expressions of this desire to stay in close touch with the staff perhaps is to he found in the make- up of the Committee on Staff and Civil Service itself. It was selected with a view to "bringing to "bear on the problem a variety of points of view— the views of those who are heads of departments and those who are not, of those who are young and those who are not, of those who have given special study to personnel matters, and those who have had long years of experience with these same matters. The Committee has worked hard and has already produced some good results. It now turns to the members of the staff as a whole with a report and a statement of prin- ciples. If you have any suggestions, I hope you will pass them along to the Committee. This is a subject which is of interest to all of us. Director Urbana, Illinois December 24, 1941 * ■ ■ . ■ ■ ■ ■ • • , ' . ' ' ' | . MEMBERS CF THE LIBRARY STAFF: Nearly a year ago, Director White appointed a Committee on Library Staff and Civil Service whose duty, among other things, it has been "to evolve a program for staff appointment and staff management care- fully suited to the needs of this Library in this University and, in doing so, to utilize the most enlightened experience in other fields and other libraries." In working towards this goal, the Committee prepared the attached statement of principles which might serve as a basis for creating a more satisfactory system of staff management. Since the chief aim of a good plan of staff management is to secure and maintain the kind of staff which can discharge effectively the duties assigned to it, this statement of principles is intended to accomplish this aim, that is, to secure for the Library the best persons available for the salaries offered and to keep these persons on the staff so long as they give satisfactory service. The statement is tentative and is submitted to the Library staff for purposes of discussion and criticism. The Committee will wel- come an expression of views and suggestions for improving the statement. For the information of the Library staff, there is also attached hereto a statement presenting the views of the Committee regarding the status of the professional members of the Library staff with respect to the Civil Service. As you probably know, the recent amendment to the State Civil Service Act permits exemption from the provisions of the Act in the case of professional positions. The purpose of the attached state- ment is to define the term "professional" and to present reasons for removing the professional staff from the control of the civil service* Comments on this statement are also invited. Frank J. Bertalan Lyle S. Bamber Mary Lois Bull Fanny Dunlap Josie B. Houchens Lucy V. Kepler E. W. McDiarmid Arnold H. Trotier, Chairman Urbana, Illinois December 24, 1941 : I •■■-.. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 . http://archive.org/details/generalprinciplepOuniv UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY General Principles Proposed for Staff Management The following tentative statement of principles is made for purposes of discussion and criticism. 1. Organization ; Within the Lihrary, the authority for personnel manage- ment should "belong to the Director, subject to approval "by the President. 2. Classification of Positions : Library positions should he classified in accordance with the duties performed and the qualifications necessary for the satisfactory performance of these duties. 3. Terminology : Professional library positions should he designated "by a terminology recognizing the professional and technical nature of the duties performed in order to distinguish them from administrative, clerical and stenographic positions. 4. Faculty Ranking : Professional staff members should he given faculty ranking commensurate with the duties performed and the qualifications required, 5. Pay Plan : Salary schedules should he estahlished in accordance with the duties and responsihilities of the positions and salary advancement should he hased primarily on demonstrated efficiency in the position. 6. Selection : Provision should he made to secure the hest qualified candidates for positions and, to this end, there should he no geogra- phic restrictions. 7. Appointment : The Director should have the responsibility of selecting the person who meets hest the qualifications for appointment to a position, suhject to approval hy the President. Pinal appointment should he made upon his recommendation hased upon evidence of satis- factory performance during a trial period. Adequate provision should he made for temporary and emergency appointments. 8. Transfers : Provision should he made for the transfer of a staff member from one position to another within the library. 9« Tenure, promotion, demotion : After the expiration of a prohationary period, staff members should have permanent or continuous tenure f and their services should he terminated, or demotions made, only for ade-^ quate cause; promotions should he made on the "basis of meritorious service. 10. Staff Training, etc. : Suitahle provision should he made for in-service training, staff lectures, conferences, committees, enrolling in univer- sity courses, exchange of positions, and for leaves of ahsence for advanced study, li« Working Conditions : Suitahle provisions should he made for the .welfare of staff merahers with respect to leaves (sickness, critical illness or death in family, maternity leave, etc.), vacations, working hours, attendance at professional meetings, etc. ' • ' . • . . • ■ ' ■ ■ ■ : ■ : • - ■ ' . - • . • "5C ' • • •• . '■■•'■'' . ' . ... - ■ ■ . XL ' - - ' ' -2- 12. Retirement, etc : Adequate provisions should "be made for retirement disability and death "benefits. Uroana, Illinois December 24, 1941 ! • November 6, 1941 My dear Dr. White: Your Committee on Staff and Civil Service is still at work on its original assignment, namely, the outlining of a forward-looking program of personnel administration of the Library staff, The following is a special report, made as the result of your request late in the summer for a considered judgment as to where the line should he drawn "between professional and other members of the Library staff* This is a very vital matter to this Library staff and one which has been of deep concern to us for many years. It should now receive the most earnest consideration, for the passage of the new Civil Service bill last summer has opened the way for a more enlightened classification of the Library staff than seemed possible under the old law. The amendment to Section 11 provides: "(16) The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and its employees shall not be subject to the provisions of this act. The Board shall as soon as possible and within six months after this amendment goes into effect, and as often thereafter as may be necessary because of new posi- tions, classify by rules adopted for that purpose all non- academic positions and employments in the University of Illinois except the President of the University, the of- ficers of the Board, administrative officers, and profes- sional and scientific positions, with reference to the duties thereof for the purpose of establishing grades, salary scales , and standards of examinations therefor. Such positions and employments shall constitute the classified civil service of the University and no appointments shall be made except in accordance with the provisions of such rules ..." It is the understanding of this Committee that the insertion of the words "professional positions" was made with certain types of library positions in mind. At the time of the conferences which resulted in this insertion, the number of positions on the library staff that can properly be regarded as "professional" was not agreed on. It was agreed, however, by all that there are positions on the library staff that are not professional just as it was agreed by all that there are others which are professional. The purpose of this report then is to indicate where the line is to be drawn between the class of positions which are professional and which, therefore, ought to be excluded from our Civil Service and the class which are not professional and which, there- fore should be left under Civil Service. It is the considered opinion of this Committee: (l) That all positions in the Library, the professional duties of which require that they should be filled by graduates of Library Schools or by others with academic training equivalent to that required for the scientific . . .*■■ . . . • . I .... - - " - : • - ■ . • I ...... ... '. : • . - ' . . -2- staff in the University, shall "be exempted from Civil Service and receive the academic status which their salaries and their duties justify; (2) That all positions in the Library which it is agreed are comparable as to type of clerical work and salary range, to similar clerical positions in other departments on the campus, shall not "be exempted "but shall he under the direction of the University Civil Service. The major part of the Library staff is a professional staff engaged in educational work of great importance to the University and this revision offers the long-awaited opportunity for our staff to take its place along with the other educational and scientific staffs, and that it should no longer suf- fer from the heavy handicaps under which it has operated since 1911, due to the limitations of Civil Service* I. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS We wish to call attention to the educational qualifications which have been considered as necessary for the present Library staff as evidence of their right to a classification with the educational and professional group. Every member of the staff whom we would wish to classify as profes- sional is a graduate of a Library School and holds a Bachelor's degree in Lib- rary Science, requiring one year's professional training in addition to col- lege graduation. Over 50$ of the staff have from two to four years of pro- fessional training. 43 staff members have an A. B. or B. S. and a Bachelor of Library Science. This represents one year of professional training beyond college graduation. Most of these assistants are working toward a Master's degree* 31 staff members have an A. B. or B. S., a B. S. in Library Science, an M. A. or M. S. in Library Science. This repre- sents two years' professional training beyond college gradu- ation. 6 staff members have an A, B. or B. S. and the old B. L. S. degree which also represents two years of professional train- ing beyond college graduation. 3 staff members have an A. B., a B. L. S., and a Master's degree in a subject field. This represents three years' train- ing beyond college graduation. 4 staff members have an A. B., a B. S. in L. S., a Master's degree in Library Science, plus a Master's degree in a sub- ject field. This represents three years of training beyond college graduation. 3 staff members have an A. B. plus degrees from Law Schools, two holding the degree of LL.B., and one the degree of D.J. in addition to the Bachelor of Library Science. This rep- resents a number of years of training in highly specialized fields. ' ■ .« ■ - » • , ■ • : •■ i , . n • ■ . . .... • - ....... - ■ - »< • ■ -3- 3 staff members have Ph. D. degrees in their own subject fields such as Classics, English, Philosophy, as well as the B. S, in Library Science. Several others are well advanced in their work towards a Ph. D. degree. This shows that not a member of the staff which we regard as profession- al has less than five years of academic preparation, while many have had six and some seven and even eight years. The library staff numbers among its members individuals who have also been on the teaching staffs of other colleges and universities. The Library Schools from which the staff have received their degrees are organized on a graduate basis. Their methods of selection aim at the admission of college graduates of superior scholarship and specific ability as prospective librarians. These schools are classified with the professional schools of Law and Medicine in universities such as Illinois, California, Columbia , and Michigan , but whereas the professional curriculum of most universities is based on two to three years of undergraduate study, the schools of Librarianship from which we have drawn our staff require four years of undergraduate study, a familiarity with several foreign languages, and a final average of not less than B for admission , thus providing a background of more liberal education than some other professions. The first year of Library School training leads to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Library Science, the second year leads to the Master's degree. Many students on admission to Library Schools already have advanced degrees in chosen subject fields. There are at present 94 full time positions in Urbana and 5 in the Chicago colleges which we regard as professional. There are also 11 part-time positions which are professional in character and occupied by graduate assistants which would, for that reason, automatically be exempted from Civil Service* The salary ranges from this full time group which we regard as professional are as follows: 41 receive $1,400 to $1,700 39 receive 1,800 to 2,400 9 receive 2,500 to 3,000 8 receive 3,100 to 4,000 plus The 11 part time positions are on the $1,400 basis, or $700 for half- time. It is the understanding of this Committee that plans have been discussed to raise this base of $1,400 as soon as possible to $1,500. It would then con- form to the beginning scale for professional positions in other large Univer- sity libraries such as California and Columbia. The above analysis and the experience of the Library administration shows that: (1) Educational requirements are as high as for many scientific and educational staffs on the campus; (2) Candidates with the required qualifications are not easily obtained; (3) The work is entitled to be recognized as of a highly professional character; (4) The salary scale falls naturally into the academic grouping of assistant, instructor, associate, and professor. ... I ■ ■ ■ ' .... . ■ . • • • ■ • . . i ■ -' . ' ■ 91 . • • ! ■ ■ ■■'''■' '■•..-■ • ■ - . ■ • -. . ' . • . ■ ■ ■ ■ J ••• ■ . Id a -4- II. PROFESSIONAL CHARACTER The presence of a professional LiDrary School under the same direc- tion as the library makes it especially important that the younger group of assistants i having the degree of Bachelor in Library Science, should be placed on a professional basis because of the opportunity this affords young lib- rarians to receive training and experience comparable to that received by as- sistants in the academic departments, each group of assistants having had five years of academic education. We consider that Professional is the most fitting characterization of that part of the Library staff represented by the positions involved. Lib- rarians have sought and gained through their professional organizations wide- spread recognition because of the essentially intellectual and educational character of their work especially in university libraries. Educational institutions are building up large research collections often of a special nature to supplement classroom instruction, laboratory in- vestigation and to provide necessary materials for research of all kinds. So great has become the mass of published material that librarians have become, to a large extent, responsible for the selection of this material. A thorough knowledge of bibliographic guides and reference tools is required as a back- ground to select and organize these collections, to make them available and to promote their use. Librarianship involves large individual responsibility. Each in- dividual renders service in direct relation to the thoroughness of his pre- paration, the initiative, resourcefulness and understanding which he brings to each individual problem, and the judgment he exercises in referring the reader at times to a person equipped to give more specialized advice. III. ACADEMIC CHARACTER We consider that the phases of library work which require training are not only professional but also academic . The trend in college and uni- versity education has for some time been away from the lecture and textbook methods to an emphasis on the use of library materials. The librarian 1 s task is to make the resources of the library available to faculty and students; therefore, the work of the university library staff with academic and pro- fessional training complements that of the teaching faculty by integrating the library with other instructional activities. The University library serves undergraduates, graduate students^ students in professional schools, faculty engaged in teaching and research,^^— ^-t //>.<2U^ and visiting scholars. The nature of the persons served and the type of ' materials needed have made necessary "scientific methods in making available and distributing library materials 1 * to students and scholars and has given librarians an important part in the instructional and research program of the institution. The librarian must be able to assist even in highly specialized fields. IV. INSTRUCTIONAL FUNCTION Many members of research and scientific staffs in other departments of the University do no classroom teaching but do work auxiliary to teaching and research. The library staff has the same auxiliary function. In many cases it partakes more of the nature of individual instruction than that of • ' • ■ . • I . .'-:■:. ... . . . , ■ ■ ! . ■ « - -5- the scientific staff for the librarians meet the students on a plane of informal and intimacy impossible in a classroom. That educators have recognized the instructional function of the librarian is evidenced by the following quotation from President Wriston of Brown University: "Without underestimating his administrative responsibility the instructional tasks of the librarian are even more im- portant. The instruction for which he is responsible is of the kind most vital to the development of the student and his advancement along the road toward real education. The librarian, as teacher, stimulates, the student to work for himself. He is largely independent of the machinery of courses, credits, hours, and points. His function is to facilitate the student's search for knowledge for its own sake, for its intrinsic values, and he should implement all the student's intellectual ambitions, bringing thus to realization the significant aims of education. Looked at from this point of view, the librarian is not merely a service officer without any independent intellectual function of significance, but one with definite and positive duties in the field of instruction. His teaching consists not only in making accessible what professors prescribe, but in encour- aging the student to go far beyond any prescription save his own ambitious curiosity. "It is precisely through independent reading that the task of knitting together the raveled sleeve of information may best be achieved. Here the student's own philosophical structure takes form as a result of reading and reflection. A shrewd and wise person, who knows the student and has the gift for offering stimulating suggestions, makes as direct and pro- found an impact upon his development as any professor, of whatever degree of distinction. "The students are not the only group within the institution which should exhibit constant development. The faculty it- self must be ever alert constantly to expand its own in- tellectual horizons. The task of the librarian in this re- spect is enormously important. He should be an active and effective agent in the continuous education of the teaching staff." The importance of the role of the library as an instrument of educa- tion and research is now so widely recognized that, given the opportunity, any failure on the part of the University to recognize it as such is to continue an outmoded conception of education. V. UNIVERSITY RECOGNITION The professional and educational character of the library profession has been recognized in other large Universities and this is an opportunity for the University of Illinois to encourage such recognition. The obligation to do this is all the greater in view of the fact that the University sponsors a Library School, one of the two oldest and most important professional schools in the country. The Director, the Library School faculty, and the Library staff have been placed in an embarrassing position to explain to the students who are being ... ■ ■ a ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ . . t . ■ . . . ■ ' • ■ . . " ■ • -6- prepared for professional service why the staff of the University Library has for so many years "been classed with the non-academic group. The Library Staff occupied its proper position in the University group until 1911 when the University was drawn under the State Givil Service* This shows that the non-professional classification afterwards employed was not the original plan of the University for its Library Staff, hut was imposed on the administration "by an outside agency. (Professor Nevins in his history of the University of Illinois says, "In 1911 all permanent University employees outside the instructional and scientific staffs were unfortunately "brought under the Civil Service Code.") Now that the restrictions of the old state law have "been removed, it will he an insufferahle "blow to the prestige of the Lihrary staff and Library School if the University does not accord the proper professional recognition to those positions for which its own training is a prerequisite . The way for such recognition is already incorporated in our own Uni- versity statutes (approved March 10, 1936) as follows: The Lihrary. "19. (h) The Lihrary shall he in charge of the Director of the Lihrary, who shall he responsihle for its arrangement and care and for the organization of the Lihrary staff . (d) Memhers of the Library staff shall he appointed hy the Board of Trustees on the recommendation of the Director of the Lihrary as approved hy the President, and may he given ap- propriate academic rank. " The University has at times recognized the professional character of the Lihrary staff hy granting several months leaves of ahsence with pay to staff memhers for study and travel. It has also granted leaves of ahsence for summer teaching in other Universities where the individual assumed faculty rank. We also wish to cite the stand taken on the status of the Lihrary staff hy some other universities; for lack of space we shall only mention a few of comparahle importance. California University : "A grouping of the Lihrary staff into professional and clerical assistants was put into effect at the University of California* The minimum requirements for the junior assistant, the lowest grade in the professional group, was a university degree and lihrary school training. All others were called clerical as- sistants and were not considered candidates for promotion to the professional roll. As a result of this reclassification, all those in the professional group have heen placed on the same salary hasis as the corresponding grades in the instructional staff. The lihrarian receives the salary of a full professor, the associate lihrarian that of an associate professor, heads of departments that of assistant professor, senior assistants that of instructor, and junior assistants that of assistant •" Coulter. I ■ ■ ■ . - ■ - ' . " ■ T YD ' .... . ■ , ■ . . ■■ • . , i ....:■ • ' "• i -7b. Columbia University Statues : "Members of the Library staff shall he classified as profes- sional and non-professional and assigned to appropriate grades of service within each group* Permanent members of the pro- fessional staff will rank with offices of instruction or of- ficers of administration in respect to academic privileges*" Stanford University manual of faculty organization : "That members of the Library staff be given classification and such status on the Academic staff as their salaries may justify." This includes Sabbatical leave for heads of de- partments. College of the City of New York has established the profes- sional positions in its library as outside of Civil Service and as part of the faculty* Wisconsin University : The heads of departments have the rank of assistant professor* (From a letter of the Director of Libraries.) Kansas State College has for a long time classified its staff with the faculty and granted Sabbatical leave. " Yale University has a number of its staff with the rank of full professor, assistant professor, and instructor." Keogh. We know of only two other university libraries which are operating under the Civil Service plan and in each case librarians and staff have found it a handicap to effective staff management and to appropriate recognition of the professional character of library service. Even in California where a state Civil Service is highly developed, the State University is exempted* VI. CIVIL SERVICE SITUATION ANALYZED The University, by taking an active part in the changes made in the state law, has recognized the fact that Civil Service has been unsatisfactory even for the appointment of the clerical staff . In the revision of the system, we feel the University should recognize the additional burden and disadvantage of its application to any professional group and remove from its restrictions any positions adjudged by the Library administration to be prof essional t leaving under Civil Service only those clerical positions which are comparable to other clerical positions on the campus* A* Clerical Staff . It is the opinion of the Committee that the classification of certain positions in the library as clerical is justified under the law and that the continuance of these positions under the University Civil Service is desirable solely because these positions are comparable to many in other departments which are on Civil Service. : . ■ ■ ■ ■ • : • ■ ■ -8- (1) Educational requirements the same as for many other stenographic, typing, and clerical workers on the campus; there are, however, some clerical positions calling for higher than average educational qualifications. (2) No special complications about securing candidates such as exist in securing professionally trained librarians. (3) Transfers easily effected with other departments "be- cause of similarity of work, (4) Range of salary fits into general University clerical scale* There are at present 20 full time stenographic or clerical positions in the Urbana library and 3 in the Chicago libraries. There are also a few part-time clerical workers. B. Professional Staff The Committee on Staff and Civil Service which was appointed a year ago because of the dissatisfaction of the administrative heads of the Library with Civil Service, spent most of last year studying the situation in the library and confirmed their opinion that the position of a professional staff on Civil Service was unendurable in a University library, because: (1) There was and will be under any Civil Service scheme a lack of freedom and flexibility in the selection and appointment of professionally trained people to the positions* (2) Many of the positions required not only library train- ing but special subject knowledge in so many fields; i.e., Chemistry, Natural Sciences, Law, Agriculture, Engineering, Education, Art, Medicine, Modern Languages, Classical Lan- guages, Social Sciences, Political Science, History, Journal- ism, etc., and each position required, in addition, certain personal qualifications of high order. (3) It was impossible without permission of the Civil Ser- vice authority to look over the field in other parts of the country and offer a position to some well-trained and ex- perienced person with unusual educational and professional qualifications. The requirement of residence in the state was a great cause of inbreeding and will always be a factor in any Civil Service. (4) The choice of a person to fill a particular position in the library must be made from the top of an eligible list, and this might result in the appointment of a person superior to others on the list, but actually unsuited to the position and less desirable than another person who could be obtained for the same salary. (5) The mechanical processes such as probationary periods, examinations, and the subsequent delay in grading and certi- fication not only slowed up the process of selection and ,-■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ...... I ■ • ■ * I r • -XJ . ' I ■ ' ' ' -9- appointment "but actually kept the "best qualified people from applying. (6) The "best Library School graduates do not seek positions f hut are placed "by the appointment services in their schools* (7) The Civil Service appointee often has much less profes- sional interest and enthusiasm and often less ambition than one who has been selected because of these very qualities which are so necessary in building up an efficient profes- sional staff. The Committee also spent much time making a study of Civil Service practices as they affected other professions than our own and concluded that no scheme of Civil Service could be made to fit satisfactorily a professional group which was part of the educational life of a great university . They also studied the classification and status of the Library staffs in other large university libraries and the classifications drawn up for the use of such libraries by our professional library associations. After such study an analysis was made of each position in the lib- rary to ascertain the duties of each as well as the educational and personal qualifications necessary for each position. The Committee then drew up a tentative group of principles for a plan of personnel management for the University of Illinois Library which they felt would more nearly fit the needs of a professional staff. We are convinced that it will be impossible to select and maintain a professional library staff with the proper qualifications unless the authority for such selection and management be left in the hands of the Director and his colleagues* Suppose, for instance, the faculty of any college such as Commerce or Law were chosen by Civil Service methods and the Dean left to assume the responsibility of making the best he could of the faculty appointed in this way. The following quotation from the U. S. National Resources Committee report on Research would seem to indicate that in the case of a large research library such as the University of Illinois that great dependence for its use- fulness must be placed on the staff and the University has certain responsi- bilities to the faculty to see that the best staff possible is maintained* "It is clearly evident that the majority of college and university presidents and boards of trustees have no ade- quate conception of what a library should be in books, periodicals, and service in a modern educational institution* It is the heart of its scholarly life and no institution of distinguished scholarship can be built around a poor library. A poor library never attracts distinguished scholars. Many faculties would do well to educate their president and trustees in the vital necessity of a good library and especially in the importance of the best library staff and service . It has been rather care- fully estimated that a thorough study of the problem in a good library prior to and during the prosecution of research on it will save on the average ten percent of the total cost in time and money. It seems certain that ■ ' ■ ■ ■ ■ . ■ . I - .... , . .. ■ ■ ■ •'■•'... ■ - ■■ ■ . ■ • . ■ ..■■■- • :' ■ • I - ' ■ H ... | ■ ■ ■ . ■ -10- many institutions committed to research could save money "by spending more generously on their libraries. n The committee, in "behalf of the staff , earnestly requests that the University take this opportunity to remove all professional positions from Civil Service and to recognize the Library staff as a professional group concerned with the educational program of the University and, therefore, to "be classed with the academic rather than the non-academic staff* Respectfully submitted for the Committee "by Josie B. Houchens, Chairman, Sub-committee Lyle S. Bamher Frank J. Bertalan Mary Lois Bull Fanny Dunlap Lucy V. Kepler B. W. McDiarmid Arnold H. Trotier, Chairman I • ■ I ■